Tickets go on sale to the general public this Monday, March 10, for the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival’s ʻŌpio Fest, presented by Halekūlani, which focuses on the state’s next generation of filmmakers. This year, the event includes 16 feature films, six shorts and 56 student films. The festival runs April 8 – 13 at the Consolidated Theatres in Kāhala.
For about almost two decades, HIFF hosted a spring showcase of best films. Last year, the nonprofit also hosted a youth film festival called ʻŌpio Fest. This year, the two events are combining under the ʻŌpio Fest name to create an event which looks at the future of filmmaking, explained Beckie Stocchetti, HIFF’s executive director.
Ōpio is a Hawaiian word that means "youth” or “youngster.” In addition to its line-up of feature films, the ʻŌpio Fest will screen student short films created by students from more than 40 schools from Hawaiʻi and Alaska. These films were selected from more than 200 submissions.
The ʻŌpio Fest in future years might explore topics such as gaming, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, Stocchetti said. The goal is to prepare middle and high school students working with HIFF now — and looking toward college — for the future.
“How are they going to be storytelling from the Hawaiʻi/Pacific perspective in ways that we haven't even really started to explore yet here in the islands?” Stocchetti said. “What are those careers going to look like? How do we push the envelope forward with our community? How do we prepare students for those types of jobs that are going to be more and more accessible?”
Students participating in the ʻŌpio Fest qualify for one of three awards competitions: The ʻŌpio Junior Showcase, for elementary and middle school students across Hawaiʻi; The ʻŌpio Next Gen Showcase, for high school filmmakers across Hawaiʻi; or the Future Filmmaker Showcase, for middle and high school students across Hawaiʻi and Alaska.
When asked to name three films or panels she was especially looking forward to at the ʻŌpio Fest, Stocchetti was quick to highlight four events.
First, she mentioned “Bringing Lilo & Stitch to Life – A Uniquely Local Perspective,” a panel discussion which features local cast members from the live action movie, which was filmed in Hawaiʻi and will be in theaters in May.
Stocchetti also mentioned the closing night film, “Forever We Are Young,” from directors Grace Lee and Patty Ahn. The documentary focuses on the k-pop band, BTS, and on the fans who made it a global household name.
She also highlighted “The State of Statelessness,” which follows Tibetan filmmakers living in exile in India, Vietnam and the United States.
Finally, Stocchetti highlighted the feature film “Taki Rua Theatre – Breaking Barriers,” which showcases a Māori theater company in Aotearoa. Check out the full list of events and films featured at the ʻŌpio Fest.
Tickets for ʻŌpio Fest panel discussions and films go on sale for HIFF members on Friday, March 7. The general public can purchase tickets starting Monday, March 10. Buy Tickets.
Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
